The value of friendship

Judie Brierly - Thursday, May 27, 2010

The Value of Friendship

Greetings from Doc Judie

"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only a few will leave footprints in your heart."

I recently had a very interesting experience. An old doctor friend of mine from California called and asked if I would take care of two horseback riders going across country for their charity, abused children and broken families. The entourage was a young couple, and four horses. They had more heart than money, more passion for their mission than common sense and the spirit of adventure that made up for their lack of experience. They had narrowly escaped avalanches, snowed in roads, and forced private property detours that were not shown on their maps.They were at the mercy of friendships made along their path for food, shelter and pasture for their animals.

I was very impressed by their devotion to their cause and their trust in humanity that they would be taken care of, but I was more impressed by my lifetime friends that opened their homes, their ranches, and their hearts to these strangers passing through for a week. So here is how the week with our riders worked out:

Renee, owner of a family ranch in the valley opened her pastures, arranged transportation, and found a vet for them when they suspected lyme disease in one of their horses.

Caralee who works full time, a single mother, also takes care of her sick uncle. Yet she offered them a room in her house, use of a truck, and home cooked meals.

I was the go-to person for transportation to the airport, and taking care of their personal needs, shopping, and a trip to the hot springs while they were guests in our valley. It went well, but what do you do when the week is over and the riders are not leaving?

The tired young couple was up against a wall, one horse was not ready for the long ride. They were out of money and losing their passion for the long haul ahead of them; Was the trip more than they bargained for?

I had to look to my own heart on how far to extend the new friendship, when to let them go and allow them to figure out their own journey and when to say good-bye. It was like being a mom all over again!

I turned to my friends who graciously shared their viewpoints. From Renee, I learned to laugh about the situation. Renee said what she always says " We will have wonderful funny stories to tell at our annual birthday dinner." She was happy to help and share the adventure.

From Caralee, I learned that you should always open your house, your heart and even your wallet when you don't have much, but time to turn them loose and make room for the next person who needs "a room, " time to strip the beds and throw the sheets in the washer on the way out.

I then turned to my own conscious and my natural compassion to take care of people. It is my calling and my pleasure to help, but helping someone often means allowing them to find their own way and not assumng that they will be lost without my help.

As it turned out, they did find other people in the valley to give them shelter for their animals and a new home for them. It will be interesting to see if they continue their journey or call it quits. Either way, I hope they ride out of this valley with good memories of the people that befriended them.

I reflected on what a great bunch of friends I have and how they have been there for me for many years. The kind of friends that usually "say yes" when I ask them to do something crazy, the type of friends that have shown up for my birthdays, my family evens, and even my funeral if I am that lucky!. I hope you have friends like this in your life.

Use your own meditation, self hypnosis and breathe through your heart when you are asked to do something, to help someone outside of your comfort zone. We all need a helping hand from time to time. It is also part of the universal plan to know when to say goodbye and let them find their "happy trails" without you.

Here's to your mental and physical health
Doc Judie
775 782-3889 judie@docjudie.com

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